NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS on 17.4.11

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS on 17.4.11

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13109627

 

17 April 2011 Last updated at 18:01 GMT

 

US storms and tornado death toll rises

 

The death toll from three days of severe weather across several southern US states has risen to at least 43.

 

The latest state to be hit was North Carolina, where 62 tornadoes left a trail of destruction in the worst storm to hit the state in two decades.

 

The governor declared a state of emergency after deaths were reported in four counties.

 

Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Virginia have also been hit. Officials say the number of victims will increase further as rescue teams search damaged areas.

 

Hailstones the size of grapefruit were reported as the storms swept through the region, creating flash floods as well as tornadoes.

 

The storms first struck Oklahoma on Thursday before sweeping eastward through other states.

 

Roofs ripped off

 

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue said the number of tornadoes was the highest since 1984.

 

"Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody in North Carolina who has been through this horrible day," Gov Perdue said.

 

She did not confirm the number of people killed, but an official in Bertie County said 11 people had died in that county alone, bringing deaths so far in the state to 21, according to AP news agency.

 

County manager Zee Lamb told the news agency the tornado had moved through Bertie County about 1900 local time (2300 GMT) on Saturday, causing extensive damage.

 

About 21,000 people live in the county, which is located about 130 miles east of the city of Raleigh.

 

Austin Moss, a delivery driver for a major pizza chain in Raleigh, told the BBC he had heard first-hand accounts of the damage where one of the tornadoes touched down.

 

"Most hotels had no vacancy as they were filled with victims of the storm, and one family had been completely dislodged from their home, which no longer existed," he said.

 

But, he added, "while the damage is extensive, the general attitude seems optimistic in the face of widespread adversity".

 

An estimated 200,000 homes in North Carolina were without power on Sunday, Reuters reported.

 

Fatalities have also been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

 

Trees and power lines have been felled by the storms, which have torn roofs off houses and overturned cars.

 

A mother and her two children were among those who died in Alabama, officials said.

 

The trio had been sheltering inside their their double-wide trailer when it was thrown about 500 ft by the winds, landing on its roof.

 

The governor of Alabama visited several of the devastated areas on Saturday, and declared the entire state a disaster area.

 

The storms have now moved out over the Atlantic.

 

 

Text-TV from Danish Television: At least 45 dead in USA

7 states in southern and western USA hit by bad weather involving storms and a series of powerful tornadoes destroying thousands of houses and uprooting trees and destroying cars and trucks. Worst hit: Arkansas & Alabama.

 

 

Text-TV from German channel 2 ZDF / ZDFtext: More than 100 tornadoes in the USA killing more than 20 in North Carolina, 7 in Alabama and at least 10 in Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 18.4.11

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 18.4.11

 

Text-TV from Swedish TV channel SVT / Danish News: Heavy storm with torrential rain and hail ravaged thev Guangdong province in southern China yesterday killing at least 17 and injuring more than 150 people. Several buildings collapsed. The storm caused substantial damage to China's export industry areas.

[nancyk58]

20 April 2011: WILD FIRES IN TEXAS

 

 

21 April 2011

 

News media: MAGNITUDE 6.3 EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN TODAY

 

The magnitude 6.3 quake (US Geological Surveys later said that it had magnitude 6.1) occurred at 22:37 local time (= 15.37 Central European Summer Time) off the coast of the Chiba prefecture at a depth of 70 km.

 

Buildings were shaking in Tokyo, but no reports of casualties or damage. And no tsunami alert was issued.

 

Japan experienced 5 earthquakes (aftershocks) between magnitudes 5 and 6.1 on the Richter scale since 2am Central European Summer Time.

 

 

POWERFUL TORNADOES IN THE USA

 

Lately the USA has been ravaged by tornadoes - most recently the states of ILLINOIS and MISSOURI. There was a powerful thunderstorm in Missouri as well, but no casualties / damage were reported.

 

In ILLINOIS more than 35,000 homes and shops were without electricity.

 

More extreme weather is forecast for later this week.

[nancyk58]

News in relation to natural disasters on 22.4.11

 

PHILIPPINES: 40 people are believed dead in a landslide in a mining town with 500 inhabitants in the southern Philippines after days of heavy rain. Many of the 500 inhabitants had already left.

 

Reported on text-TV for Swedish TV channel SVT

 

 

EDIT on 23.4.11: Text-TV from Danish TV station 1 aka. DR1:

 

LANDSLIDE KILLED AT LEAST 27 ON THE ISLAND OF MINDANAO IN SOUTH PHILIPPINES AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN

 

The town of Kingking was hit shortly before dawn. Most of the town was buried in mud and minor rocks. An unknown number of citizens are missing.

 

2 years ago, the same area was hit by a similar landslide killing 20 people. In 2009, the authorities advised the inhabitants to rebuild in more solid places. In the meantime, large occurrences of copper have been discovered on the island of Mindanao. Mining attracts many poor people to the area.

[nancyk58]

Text-TV from German ZDF on 23.4.11: MAGNITUDE 6.9 QUAKE SHOOK THE SALOMON ISLANDS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

 

The powerful quake occurred Saturday in the afternoon local time off the coast of the Salomon Islands according to the US Geological Survey. The epicentre was 171 km south-east of the capital Honiara. There was no report of casualties or any damage.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 24.4.11

 

Text-TV from Swedish TV channel SVT: FLOOD IN VENEZUELA

 

At least 6 children died and 3 adults were missing in FLOOD WAVES after cloudbursts. The flood was caused by 2 weeks of heavy rain. Rescue teams have been searching for the missing this week-end.

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/13176409

 

24 April 2011 Last updated at 04:06 GMT

 

Lambert-St Louis airport to reopen after tornado

 

The US airport of Lambert-St Louis is reopening after a tornado ripped through its main terminal.

 

The storm in the state of MISSOURI tore off a large section of the terminal's roof, shattering windows and sending debris flying.

 

Several people were treated for minor injuries.

 

The airport later reopened for a handful of arriving flights and officials expect most scheduled flights to go ahead as planned by early Sunday.

 

However, the damaged concourse is expected to remain closed for up to two months.

 

"We are not going to have the prettiest airport tomorrow, but we will have an operating airport," airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said.

 

The storm, one of a series to pass through central and eastern MISSOURI, also flattened homes in the area, felled trees and tore down power lines.

 

Lambert-St Louis airport issued a statement saying all flights were cancelled pending full safety assessments, and a clean-up was under way.

 

'Grown men crying'

 

St Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch, who was at the airport as the storm approached, said people watching the tornado suddenly had to scramble for safety.

 

"About the time we came into the building, the doors blew off," he said.

 

"Literally 10 seconds later, it was over. It's amazing to me more people weren't hurt."

 

Dianna Merrill, who was waiting for a flight to New York, said she had been looking out of the window hoping her delayed flight would arrive.

 

"Glass was blowing everywhere. The ceiling was falling... the wind was blowing debris all over the place," she said.

 

"It was like being in a horror movie. Grown men were crying. It was horrible."

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379828/St-Louis-tornado-4-injured-storm-rips-roof-Missouri-airport-concourse.html

 

Tornado flattened 750 homes and ripped roof off Missouri airport injuring five with flying glass

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:55 PM on 24th April 2011

 

 

Only three residents suffer minor injuries, 26,000 still without power

 

The tornado hit several counties in St Louis and tore off the roof of the city's International airport.

 

Around 750 homes in Maryland Heights and Bridgeton were destroyed or damaged as the storm left car overturned in driveways and lawns and cut power to 50,000 people.

 

Five people were taken to hospital with cuts when half the plate glass windows in the main terminal at Lambert airport were blown out, sending debris raining down on passengers.

 

The airport - crowded with travellers heading home for Easter - was so badly damaged it only reopened last night, operating a reduced flight schedule.

 

From the air, one home looked like a doll house that had had its roof lifted off. Miraculously, only three residents suffered minor injuries.

 

'It almost feels like a little bit of divine intervention when you look at the devastation,' said Governor Jay Nixon, who flew over the area and declared a state of emergency.

 

Roofers were going door to door in Bridgeton and Maryland Heights today to offer free temporary repairs.

 

There are still 26,000 people without power 36 hours after the tornado struck on Friday night.

 

At Lambert, 1,000 workers were involved in the clean-up operation, boarding up windows and sweeping up glass in the main terminal,

 

One American Airlines 757 jet sustained significant damage and four other American aircraft had minor damage. Five or six flights had to be diverted from St. Louis.

 

Winds were so severe they blew an airport shuttle bus to the end of a car park where it teetered over the edge.

 

The terminal is expected to operate at around 70 per cent of its normal capacity today.

 

Airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said: 'We're not going to have the prettiest airport, but we will have an operating airport.'

 

Passengers were hit by flying glass as the roof was ripped off in Concourse C. At least two planes were stranded briefly on the tarmac because of debris before passengers were later taken away by buses.

 

One passenger said she felt lucky to be alive and described it as 'like being in a horror movie.'

 

Brett Knewitz, who was evacuated from his flight, told CNN his plane 'was rocking back and forth'.

 

Initially they were not allowed into the terminal because officials feared the roof would collapse. Once inside he saw an injured gate agent who was 'bleeding like crazy.'

 

Sirens went off inside the airport and staff scrambled to rush hundreds of passengers into bathrooms and offices to ride out the storm.

 

Dianna Merrill, a mail carrier from St. Louis, was waiting inside the terminal to fly to New York when the storm hit.

 

She said: 'Glass was blowing everywhere. The ceiling was falling. The glass was hitting us in the face. Hail and rain were coming in.

 

'The wind was blowing debris all over the place. It was like being in a horror movie. Grown men were crying. It was horrible.'

 

Outside the airport two state highways were also closed because of debris, and an estimated 20 homes were damaged in St. Charles County just west of the airport.

 

Dozens of vehicles overturned, have made it harder for emergency crews to get through.In one neighbourhood near St Louis County, television reports showed a man wandering in the rubble holding up pictures and pieces of broken furniture.

 

The tornado was part of a band of thunderstorms moving through Missouri and Illinois across Indiana and into part of Kentucky and Ohio.

 

Over the years, storms and tornadoes have claimed hundreds of lives in the St. Louis region, one of the most active urban areas for tornadoes in the United States.

 

The worst tornado in St. Louis history killed 137 people and left 550 injured in 1927 and was the second costliest in U.S. history.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379828/St-Louis-tornado-4-injured-storm-rips-roof-Missouri-airport-concourse.html#ixzz1KRSHpexY

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13179706

 

24 April 2011 Last updated at 01:24 GMT

 

Brazil hit by deadly floods and landslides

 

Landslides and floods triggered by torrential rain have killed at least 10 people in southern Brazil.

 

Among the dead were three children whose home was among several buried in the town of Novo Hamburgo in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

 

A man was electrocuted by toppled power lines in Sapucaia do Sul and a farmer died when a building collapsed on him.

 

Floods and landslides in January killed about 800 people in a mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro.

 

Civil defence officials said that the latest flooding also caused deaths in Igrejinha, Fazenda Vila Nova and Sapucaia do Sul.

 

Rescue workers were searching for two missing people after homes in Igrejinha were engulfed by mudslides.

 

Surrounding areas believed at risk from further landslides are being evacuated, officials said.

 

Flooding was also reported near Porto Alegre, state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, and about 100,000 residents there are reported to be without power.

[nancyk58]

News in relation to natural disasters on 25.4.11

 

MAGNITUDE 6.2 EARTH QUAKE ON THE INDONESIAN ISLAND OF SULAWESI (last night central European summer time)

 

The 6.2 quake shook Sulawesi and occurred 5 mile south-east of Kendari and 1,800 km north-east of the capital Jakarta. The magnitude 6.2 quake was followed by 3 aftershocks.

 

Some houses were destroyed, and some people panicked, but there is no report of casualties. No tsunami warning was issued.

 

Reported by Text-TV for Denmark's 2 public service channels DR1 and TV2 (TV2 News) and by text-TV on Swedish TV channel SVT

 

 

Text-TV on Swedish TV channel SVT: POWERFUL SPRINGFLOOD THREATENING HOMES IN CENTRAL PARTS OF CANADA

 

Around 2,000 people - many from Indian reservations - in central part of Canada have been evacuated as a powerful springflood is threatening their homes.

 

In the MANITOBA province, the RED RIVER and tributaries are threatening to breach the dams. Many roads are closed.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13185499

 

25 April 2011 Last updated at 07:40 GMT

 

Brazil: Dozen die in floods and landslides

 

Landslides and floods in southern Brazil over the weekend are now known to have left a dozen people dead.

 

Some 40,000 people have been affected by the torrential rain and several hundred left homeless.

 

The authorities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul have declared a state of emergency in seven cities.

 

Among the dead were seven family members whose homes in the town of Igrejinha were buried by a landslide.

 

Other victims included three children who died when their house in Novo Hamburgo was engulfed by mud.

 

Rescue workers have been evacuating areas thought to be at risk from landslips.

 

There was also flooding in and near Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, which suffered power cuts.

 

Drier weather is forecast for the next few days but more rain is likely towards the end of the week.

[nancyk58]

At least 12 tornadoes in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS on 28.4.11

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS on 28.4.11

 

On the news in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, UK and CNN:

 

MORE THAN 258 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN BAD WEATHER WITH FLOODS AND TORNADOES IN THE USA - in particular in Alabama. Hundreds have been injured.

 

Specification of the death toll in the affected states (according to Danish TV2 news): 162 have died in Alabama, 32 in Mississippi, 30 in Tennessee, 13 in Georgia and 11 in Arkansas. Deaths have also been reported in Missouri.

 

STATE OF EMERGENCY has been declared in 8 states in the south and mid-west - the above states plus Kentucky.

 

More than 110 tornadoes have swept several US states today and a total of more than 300 tornadoes in the last couple of days.

 

 

Swedish SVT: Winter in NORTH KOREA has destroyed the crops so that large parts of North Korea may run out of food within 2 months according to the relief organization Samaritan Purse. Many North Koreans have to eat grass, leaves and bark (from trees) to survive. Negotiations are ongoing with the USA in relation to emergency supplies of food. But the period between the decision-making and the moment when the food arrives may be 3 months.

[Karencorpse]

I heard the record for the longest tornado that went through Missouri, IL, Indiana in May 1925 has been broken by a tornado that went through Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia last night. During the Palm Sunday tornadoes on March 15, 1963 that had over 200 dead and 6 F5 tornadoes happened in Indiana. Did these tornadoes break this record? Is Indiana no longer going to be the worst tornado state? It looks like a bad year for tornadoes.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 29.4.11

 

Text-TV on Swedish SVT and German ZDF: MORE THAN 300 DEAD IN US TORNADOES - at least 210 DIED IN ALABAMA

 

More than 300 have died in the USA - in ALABAMA alone at least 210 have died. At least 100 have died in other US states: Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Kentucky.

 

Today, US President Barack Obama and his wife visited Alabama which is the state worst affected by tornadoes. He pledged prompt aid to those affected.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 30.4.11

 

Text-TV (Danish and Swedish): THE DEATH TOLL IN THE USA AFTER floods and TORNADOES RAVAGING THE SOUTHERN STATES IN THE USA - ALABAMA, TENNESSEE, GEORGIA, MISSISSIPPI, ARKANSAS, VIRGINIA, MISSOURI AND KENTUCKY ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY - HAS RISEN TO AT LEAST 350

 

More than 200 tornadoes have ravaged the above-mentioned American states.

Worst hit is ALABAMA where the authorities have registered at least 218 deaths (238 are said to have died in Alabama due to the bad weather) - and 30 hereof have died in the town of Tuscaloosa alone - a town visited by US president Obama yesterday. During his visit the president said that the bad weather had cost between 2 and 5 billion dollars.

 

The second-largest nuclear power plant in the USA - Browns Ferry in Alabama - was automatically shut down when there was a power cut during the bad weather. It may take weeks before the nuclear power plant is in operation again.

 

One of the tornadoes was a F5 = a rare fiver on the 5-rank Fujita scale used to measure tornadoes. It hit Smithville in north-east Mississippi and had wind speeds of 328 km per hour.

 

It is the biggest loss of human lives since 1932 and the second-most serious since 1925 when 747 died.

[nancyk58]

News on 5.5.11 in relation to natural disasters

 

 

MAGNITUDE 5.7 EARTHQUAKE IN MEXICO CITY ON 5.5.11

 

Houses were shaking. The epicentre was 34 miles south of Mexico's capital, Mexico City at a depth of 6 miles.

 

No report of casualties.

[nancyk58]

News in relation to natural disasters

 

The area around MEMPHIS, Tennessee is threatened by high water and flood since the water in the MISSISSIPPI river has reached record-high levels.

 

Almost 3,000 communities can be affected.

 

(Text-TV for Swedish TV channel SVT), but also Danish TV2 News mentioned it.

 

 

A coldplayer from CANADA mentioned EVACUATION there.

[nancyk58]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13337548

 

9 May 2011 Last updated at 13:48 GMT

 

Memphis flooding: Thousands of homes evacuated

 

The southern US city of Memphis is coping with near-record flooding that has forced the evacuation of at least 1,300 homes, officials have said.

 

The Mississippi River was expected to crest at 48ft (14.6m) on Monday in the Tennessee city, 14ft above flood stage.

 

The authorities have evacuated low-lying neighbourhoods, and officials said they were confident flood control systems would prevent further harm.

 

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell said 400 people were staying in shelters.

 

'Levees holding'

 

Officials said they were confident levees along the river would hold back the water and that the authorities had 20,000 sand bags in reserve in case of a breach.

 

The National Weather Service said the Mississippi River would crest at about 1900 local time (2300 GMT) on Monday.

 

The record river height of 48.7ft was set in February 1937 during one of the worst Mississippi floods in US history.

 

Col Vernie Reichling Jr of the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the Mississippi River flood control system, told reporters: "There should be no concern for any levees to fail."

 

In downtown Memphis, the river had swollen to three miles (4.8km) wide from its typical width of half a mile, the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper reported.

 

Engorged by the spring thaw, the river has caused significant flooding upstream in Illinois and Missouri.

 

Further downstream in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, the river has already passed flood stage.

 

 

Heavy rain and melting snow has caused the flood. Also the tributaries are swelling.

 

--------------------------------

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13333798

 

9 May 2011 Last updated at 16:44 GMT

 

Togo: '36 DEAD' after boats capsize east of Lome

 

At least 36 people have died in Togo when their boats capsized during a storm, officials say.

 

The boats were caught in strong winds and torrential rain as they sailed across Lake Togo, about 40km (25 miles) east of the capital, Lome.

 

Police say the victims were returning home from a funeral on the other side of the lake.

 

Local official Akouete Edan said there were 21 survivors and that most of those killed were students.

 

It is not known how many people were on board the boats, and a search is continuing for further bodies.

 

"When the winds hit, the largest boat carrying some men and drums capsized first," a survivor told a local radio station, according to the Reuters news agency.

 

"Then two or three other smaller boats carrying women and children also capsized," he said, adding that he had lost three of his children who were with him.

 

Women's Minister Henriette Amedjogbe travelled with the prime minister to the village of Agbodankope, where many of those killed came from.

 

"It is a real tragedy," she said, according to the AFP news agency.

 

"We came to bring you the support of the government and the Togolese people."

 

 

According to Text-TV on Swedish channel SVT 7 boats capsized during storm in West-African Togo, and at least 36 died.

----------------------------

 

 

Text-TV on Swedish channel SVT: MORE THAN 20 WORKERS BURIED BY MASSES OF MUD AT QUARRY IN SOUTHERN CHINA

So the state news agency New China reports. Rescue workers are searching for survivors.

[Technicolor Sparks]

A coldplayer from CANADA mentioned EVACUATION there.

 

 

That was me. :P

 

The part of my city that is nearest to the river is being evacuated...the water hasn't broken through the dikes yet, but they are evacuating people as a precaution because it will be easier to get people out when the roads are (mostly) clear. The Assiniboine River is the highest it has ever been, and the water levels aren't expected to peak until Thursday or Friday. And it's raining, so that's not helping.

[nancyk58]

That was me. :P

 

The part of my city that is nearest to the river is being evacuated...the water hasn't broken through the dikes yet, but they are evacuating people as a precaution because it will be easier to get people out when the roads are (mostly) clear. The Assiniboine River is the highest it has ever been, and the water levels aren't expected to peak until Thursday or Friday. And it's raining, so that's not helping.

 

 

Thanks for posting this - please continue posting news from your country / area. I cross my fingers for you.

[Technicolor Sparks]

Thanks! :nice:

[nancyk58]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13337548

 

10 May 2011 Last updated at 13:58 GMT

 

Memphis flooding: Mississippi River reaches peak

 

The Mississippi River has peaked at just under 48ft (14.6m) in the southern US city of Memphis, the US national weather service has said.

 

The city is coping with flood levels not seen since the 1930s, which have forced people from some 1,300 homes.

 

Officials say they are confident flood control systems will prevent further harm, but warn it could take weeks for the floodwater to recede.

 

The flooding has been caused by melting snow and heavy rains.

 

"It's not going to get a lot better for a while," Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam said.

 

Officials said the water was expected to remain at peak levels for the next day.

 

"Pretty much the damage has been done," National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Borghoff told the Associated Press.

 

Rising water levels

 

Officials said the system of levees protecting Memphis from worse damage appeared to have held, but Col Vernie Reichling Jr of the US Army Corps of Engineers said: "We'll breathe a sigh of relief once this crest has passed and is in the Gulf of Mexico."

 

Authorities have also warned residents to look out for snakes and rats which could seek shelter on higher ground.

 

Officials downstream in Louisiana have begun evacuating prisoners from one of the state's toughest prisons - the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola - and opened floodgates to relieve pressure on levees outside New Orleans.

 

Police in Memphis have gone door-to-door to 1,300 homes over the past few days to warn people about the rising water levels.

 

More than 300 people were staying in shelters on Monday, and police increased their presence in evacuated areas to prevent looting.

 

"I imagine that my trailer, if it's not covered, it's close," Aurelio Flores, an unemployed construction worker, told the Associated Press news agency.

 

Graceland safe

 

The record river height of 48.7ft was set in February 1937 during one of the worst Mississippi floods in US history.

 

In central Memphis, the river had swollen to three miles (4.8km) wide from its typical width of half a mile, the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper reported on Monday.

 

Further inland, Graceland, the famous home of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley, was out of harm's way, as was Beale Street, a tourist attraction known for Blues music.

 

"I want to say this: Graceland is safe. And we would charge hell with a water pistol to keep it that way and I'd be willing to lead the charge," director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Bob Nations Jr said.

 

Engorged by the spring thaw, the Mississippi has caused significant flooding upstream in Illinois and Missouri.

 

Further downstream in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, the river has already reached flood stage.

 

 

Danish text-TV: MAGNITUDE 7.1 EARTHQUAKE 133 KM SOUTH-WEST OF THE ISLAND OF VANUATU IN THE PACIFIC. (Reuters citing US Geological Survey, USGS). No tsunami warning was issued.

[Karencorpse]

There is radiation in the rain water in the USA, Canada, and Europe, and it is going into the crops and water supply. Some of the milk in the stores has radiation in it.

 

Take Miso soup with seaweed to flush radiation out of the body. This is a cure used in Japan for WW2 atomic blast. Those who took Miso survived better.

[nancyk58]

News in relation to natural disasters on 11 May 2011

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13364606

 

11 May 2011 Last updated at 15:58 GMT

 

Mississippi flood: Southern states brace for crest

 

Communities along the southern stretch of the Mississippi River are bracing for major floods as the crest of the swollen river moves downstream.

 

In poverty stricken areas of the Mississippi delta, the river and its tributaries have washed away crops and forced people to leave their homes.

 

The state of Mississippi's riverfront gambling industry has also been hit, with all 19 casinos to shut this week.

 

The flooding has badly affected Memphis and other cities further upstream.

 

The flood crest has passed Memphis and is expected to move downstream toward New Orleans within the next three weeks, the National Weather Service said.

 

'Just scared'

 

The Mississippi's tributaries have also flooded. In Arkansas, on the river's west bank, flooding along the White River forced officials to close Interstate 40, one of the busiest highways in the state.

 

On Thursday, the river was expected to crest in Helena, Arkansas, at 56.5ft (17.2m), 12.5ft above flood stage.

 

In the delta states of Mississippi and Louisiana, workers were shoring up levees to strengthen them against the coming high water.

 

Louisiana's St Martin Parish gave jail inmates the task of filling sandbags to protect homes on ground that could be flooded if the authorities open a floodway to take pressure off the levees over the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

 

"Everybody is just scared," St Martin Sheriff's Deputy Ginny Higgins, who was overseeing the prisoners, told the Associated Press. "They don't know what to do."

 

Officials have said the flooding could take weeks to recede.

 

On Monday and Tuesday, the Mississippi River peaked at just under 48ft (14.6m) in Memphis, the US national weather service said.

 

That city is coping with flood levels not seen since the 1930s, which have forced people from some 1,300 homes.

 

The authorities have also warned residents to look out for snakes and rats which could seek shelter on higher ground.

 

Engorged by the spring thaw and heavy rains, the Mississippi has also caused significant flooding upstream in Illinois and Missouri.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13368599

 

11 May 2011 Last updated at 18:14 GMT

 

Deadly earthquake rocks Lorca in southern Spain

 

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has toppled several buildings in southern Spain, near the town of Lorca, killing at least four people, officials say.

 

The quake struck at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), some 120km south-west of Alicante, at 1850 (1650 GMT), the US Geological Survey reported.

 

TV shots showed rescue workers rushing through debris-littered streets.

 

Lorca Mayor Francisco Jodar told local radio the four deaths were caused by falling debris and cave-ins.

 

Old buildings, including a clocktower, were badly damaged by the quake, which followed a smaller 4.4-magnitude quake about an hour earlier.

 

Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has deployed emergency military units to the scene, the Spanish EFE news agency reported.

 

 

Latest: Death toll rising - 10 dead and dozens injured.

 

 

Thread started: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76632 with more in relation to the Spanish earthquakes.

 

Thursday 12.5.10: 1/3 of Lorca's inhabitants spent the night outside.

It turns out that 9 died and 120 people were injured.

[nancyk58]

News in relation to natural disasters on Thursday, 12 May 2011

 

Text-TV from German TV channel 2 = ZDFtext: Mississippi Flood: Ten thousands prepare for evacuations. Hundred houses are under water.

 

In LOUISIANA and MISSISSIPPI the water level might reach the highest peak for 80 years.

 

 

Text-TV from Swedish TV channel SVT: NEW LEAK IN FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN

 

Radioactive water has leaked from the area around reactor 3 into the sea where the cesium has been measured at 18,000 times the normal value. The leak has been stopped by means of concrete.

[nancyk58]

A coldplayer sent me this information in relation to the earthquakes in Spain on 11.5.11

 

 

Spanish Red Cross is an organization helping those affected.

 

People affected: Around 10,000 citizens.

 

More than 700 homes need to be demolished or are already demolished.

 

9 people died, among them a minor and two pregnant women.

 

All the churches and other historial buildings are really damaged, even some schools and public buildings are a bit damaged and the city's tourism is mostly cultural.

 

The quake happened at 7pm - magnitude 5.2 on the Richter scale - and at a depth of 1km = 1 km below the surface.

 

There was a previous quake - its magnitude was around 4.4 - at 5pm so people were prepared and most went to the open spaces they could find such as parks, big avenues and the like.

 

The lucky ones spent the night in other relatives' homes, but not everybody was that lucky.

 

Communcation failed for 1 hour after the event - it was impossible to reach any relatives there via the telephone - the coldplayer lives in a city 60km away from the quake place and she has family there.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 14.5.11

 

Mississippi aka. Old Man River is rising, some more levies breached to reduce the flooding.

 

 

From text-TV on German channel 2 aka. ZDFtext:

 

COSTA RICA: MAGNITUDE 6.0 EARTHQUAKE SHOOK THE CAPITAL SAN JÓSÉ

 

Some material damage has been reported, but no report of casualties. The epicentre of the magnitude 6.0 quake was about 25km south-west of San José.

 

According to Red Cross, aftershocks are possible. The quake resulted in power cuts and mobile networks not working and also in minor landslides.

 

 

Text-TV on Swedish TV channel SVT and German TV channel ZDF:

 

ANOTHER QUAKE SHOOK THE COAST AREA ALONG JAPAN'S PACIFIC COAST

 

There is no report of casualties.

 

Today's quake occurred at a depth of almost 4 mile - 6 miles north-east of the city Iwaki (according to SVT). According to German ZDF: The epicentre was about 60km north-west of Iwaki on the Pacific coast according to the US Geological Survey, USGS.

 

Iwaki is situated in the prefecture of Fukushima housing the crippled nuclear power plant. ONE WORKER AT THE FUKUSHIMA PLANT IS DEAD. HE WAS SUDDENLY UNCONSCIOUS AND HOSPITALIZED according to a spokesman for Tepco, the operator of that crippled plant.

 

The population in Japan is still affected by the devastating earthquake on 11 March 2011 when the main island - HONSHU - was hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggering an enormous tsunami. AT LEAST 24,525 PEOPLE DIED or ARE MISSING.

 

 

Danish text-TV and Swedish SVT: JAPAN CLOSES A DANGEROUS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

 

The last reactor in the Japanese Hamaoka nuclear power plant has been permanently closed / shut down according to the owner and operator - Chubu Electric Power.

 

The plant is situated in an area often hit by earthquakes - in a fault about 20 miles from Tokyo. Experts / seismologists fear / warn that the area is likely to be hit by an earthquake of the same magnitude - 9.0 - as the one hitting the northern Japan on 11 March.

 

The Hamaoka plant has 5 reactors of which 3 have not been operational for quite some time. Reactor 4 was closed/shut down yesterday, and reactor 5 was closed/shut down today - at Prime Minister Naoto Kan's request.

[chuck kottke]

Thanks for the updates Nancy! I hope the Spanish Coldplayer is well and her family is well there in Spain, though it sounds like everyone fared pretty well being prepared for the quake.

Sounds like the Japanese Quake was minor, but still, that's got to be unsettling. Hope everyone's alright there, and sad to hear the news about the plant worker.